Vlad Țone is Director de cabinet at ARICE — the Romanian Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (Agenția Română pentru Investiții și Comerț Exterior) — whose remit includes export promotion: organising Romania's national participation at international trade fairs in partnership with the industry federations of the Export Council, contracting the logistics of each national stand, and awarding state minimis aid to the producing companies selected through its procedure. He recorded his Boringly Effective conversation at the Romanian Creativity Pavilion during Cannes Lions 2026.
Key ideas
- Nation branding is a presence strategy, not a rebrand. When you say "Romania", you should be able to lift an industry at the start of its road alongside one that has already proved itself — the national stand is where that lift happens.
- Presence beats omnipresence. "You can't always be competitive on all markets, but you have to be present" — one fair, one identity, done properly, beats scattered appearances.
- Fair value is judged after the fair. The measure of a national pavilion is what the participating companies report in the months that follow — leads, partners, distribution — not the applause it gets in the hall.
- Export promotion is brand work. Contracting stands, selecting producers, awarding aid — all of it is identity management for the "Made in Romania" mark in front of foreign buyers.
Appears on Boringly Effective
- Vlad Țone of ARICE on Nation Branding: Why Presence Beats Omnipresence — Episode 7 — what a national brand does for a small exporter, recorded at Cannes Lions 2026.